


An Arrangement

by Orchid_Kasumi



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Dom/sub relationship, Human Names Used, M/M, discussing bdsm lifestyle, fizzled rp, no real smut this time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2014-07-04
Packaged: 2018-02-07 11:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1897128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orchid_Kasumi/pseuds/Orchid_Kasumi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>England and India agree to try out a dom/sub relationship. (This work is mostly just an exploration of the characters and my test RPing India).</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Arrangement

Still clad in a flowing white cotton shirt with a single button at the collar, skin-tight black leather pants and a pair of leather riding boots, Arthur smiled and waved out the window as his play-date drove away down the drive, his hand lowering and the smile fading slightly as the small car turned off onto the road and eventually disappeared.  Heaving a sigh, he looked at the various toys, ropes and bondage implements scattered around the sitting room…normally he’d restrict these activities to the bedroom or the dungeon in the basement level; however, it was his first time playing with this particular submissive, so he’d wanted to play in a comfortable environment.

Not that it had been appreciated…this sub was a greedy, vapid little creature, far more intent on trying to provoke punishment than gaining Arthur’s approval through obedience.  Plus, the sensual aspect had been completely lost on the silly little sod.

Peevishly blowing out the vanilla scented candles he’d lit, Arthur picked up his tea set and carried the cold tea into the kitchen, dumping it and putting fresh bags in the empty pot.  Little beggar hadn’t even touched his tea…if England hadn’t been so desperate for physical contact, he probably would have scolded the brat on his bad manners.  He’d been so put off by the bad etiquette that getting an erection had been next to impossible, and the youth’s lackluster approach to giving a blowjob hadn’t done much to compensate.  If he didn’t abide by the principles of a good Dominant, Arthur would’ve jerked off on him and sent him home.  As it was, he’d been so eager to rid himself of the sub-standard company that he’d shooed the lad off without requesting that he clean up the mess they’d made.

England’s fuzzy brows furrowed slightly when he saw another vehicle turning onto his drive, and he squinted a little, his heart suddenly seizing with panic when he saw the diplomatic plates.  Shit, why did another nation have to come and visit him NOW, of all times?!

Running into the sitting room, Arthur began to frantically throw things into random drawers, dropping the body harness behind the couch, stuffing the steel handcuffs between the cushions and throwing two dildos and a butt plug into an oversized vase in the corner.

When he reached the door at the second round of knocking, Arthur smoothed his shirt out and tried to look composed, flicking his hair out of his eyes and trying to get his rushed breathing under control before turning the knob and pulling the door open to greet whoever his guest turned out to be.

Raj hummed to himself as he drove through up the drive to the familiar estate, a light smile playing on his face. He parked the car in the drive and got out, walking up to the door, hem of his red sherwani making soft rustling noises as he walked. The first couple of knocks brought no one to the door, so he lifted a hand to the door again. This time he heard footsteps on the other side, coming down the hallway. Arthur was home! He just worried that he was interrupting something important…  Oh… The Indian had not expected to see Arthur dressed up in… such tight pants. For a moment he was quiet and simply stared at the Englishman before he composed himself into a smile, “Hello Arthur… I thought I’d drop by and see if you were free for a visit!” He hoped that the chipper lilt in his voice was enough to distract Arthur from his previous fault of staring. Out of nerves he wound his scarf around his arm, part of it hanging off. “Can I come in?”

Oh, lord…of all the nations to have to interact with after an extremely un-gratifying sexual encounter, why did it have to be one he actively fantasized about?  Rajesh wasn’t the only one guilty of staring in this instance, either…England had a devastating weakness for that particular shade of red, and the thin gold accents drew the Brit’s eye up and down Raj’s frame in a manner that induced a once-over despite the fact that Arthur was well acquainted with India already.  Shaking himself abruptly, Arthur met India’s eyes and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Ah, yes, of course,” Arthur stammered, smiling warmly as he stepped back and opened the door wider for the other nation to come in.  “I’ve, ah…just put the kettle on, ironically enough.  Is chamomile all right, or would you like something stronger?”

Raj smiled and stepped through the door, watching the brilliant green flicker of Arthur’s eyes. He looked really nice in those clothes… different than what he was used to the nation representation wearing during world meetings. “Of course I’d love some. Chamomile is fine; you are the host after all, whatever you would like to have I’ll be happy with drinking.” He said with a smile as he followed the Englishman down the hall. The living room looked a little… not messy but it was as though everything had been hastily cleaned up. Rajesh wasn’t going to complain, so he just smiled at the other and sat down. That smile shifted a little as he felt something pressing against the pillow behind his back.

Feeling a little surprised he turned and reached behind the pillow… pulling out a pair of hand-cuffs. “Arthur… what is this?” He asked curiously, turning over the cuffs in his hand as he looked towards the entrance to kitchen where the Brit had walked through.

A faint pang of longing tugged at Arthur’s heart at the fellow Commonwealth nation’s politeness, although England smiled politely (and in obvious approval) before nodding and going into the kitchen to pour the boiling water into the pot.  Of course, this had the effect of showing off the leather pants he’d practically poured himself into to their best advantage, as they really did hug his rear quite nicely, something he was quite oblivious to.

“Hm?” Arthur grunted as he set the empty kettle aside, glancing over his shoulder and feeling his heart drop into his stomach when he saw the steel cuffs glint in the mid-afternoon light.  A thousand options ran through his head as he debated what to tell Rajesh, 999 of them being lies.  Swallowing hard, England cleared his throat as he settled the lid on the teapot and slid a wool tea cosy that he’d knitted himself overtop of it.

He took the time to gather two matching teacups and clean teaspoons, placing them on the saucers and then onto the tray, refilling the small milk jug and placing it there as well, along with a plate of cookies he’d purchased earlier that day.  Walking into the sitting room, Arthur set the tray down on the coffee table and sat down on the armchair next to the couch Rajesh was sitting on, heaving a sigh.

On any other day, he would’ve lied.  However, with fresh disappointment in his mind, Raj’s politeness, and the gnawing ache of unfulfilled desire in his heart and particularly in his vital regions, he was too damn tired to get flustered.  “I had a lover over just before you came,” he muttered.  “Well…not really a lover.  More like a very shoddy attempt at a booty call.”  A faint, almost apologetic smile flickered at the corner of Arthur’s lips as his emerald eyes shifted to meet Raj’s.  “They’re clean…I tied him up with ropes, so you needn’t worry about germs or anything.”  He shrugged.  “Actually, I keep all of my things very clean.  Quite professional about the whole thing, for all the good it seems to do me.”

To his credit, the darker toned man did not blush, well, at least not to a degree that there would be tell-tale signs upon his cheeks. Raj himself felt a little bit of heat gathering across his face, but did his best not to show any signs of surprise at Arthur’s words. “I see…” were the only words he managed after a while of simply looking down at the restraining device in his hand. He worried his lower lip between his teeth for a moment before asking, “So you use these?”

There was a small bit of curiosity in his tone as he added another question as he poured tea into the two matching cups, “Do you… use anything else?”

Perhaps someone else would have found the possibility strange or even frightening, but the Indian wasn’t daunted in the slightest. In fact, Rajesh felt a small amount of curiosity stirring in him tinged with a bit of excitement. He just hadn’t expected this type of behavior from someone as normally collected as the nation sitting in the chair next to him. On the other hand… everyone did have their own way of relaxing… now a true blush did show up; tinting his cheeks just a little as he set the cuffs down on the cushion beside him. Realizing that perhaps his questioning made the Englishman uncomfortable, he remedied by saying, “I don’t mean to pry… you don’t have to explain anything if you don’t want to.”

Arthur had lifted his head from the hand he’d been leaning it on at Raj’s curiosity, a distinct glimmer of curiosity in his own eyes as he watched India set the cuffs aside.  A surprisingly genuine smile came to his lips at the last statement, and Arthur waved dismissively, genuinely happy to be asked anything about himself that didn’t involve the damn Eurozone and the IMF.  “Not at all, Rajesh, not at all.  If you’re content to listen to me ramble on about it, then I’m quite happy to explain.  Ah, thanks very much,” he indicated the cup of tea Rajesh had just poured for him with a nod, smiling appreciatively as he lifted it to his lips, letting his eyes slip closed for a moment as he basked in the soothing fragrance before taking a sip.  Lowering the cup, Arthur looked to Raj again, his posture more relaxed now.  “Were you just asking about my tastes in general, or the bondage scene, or…?”

Seeing that the other man was more relaxed, the Indian’s body shifted to a more comfortable position against the pillow on the couch, holding cup, spoon and saucer in one hand. “Well…” Mixing some milk into his own cup of tea, Raj took a sip before continuing to clarify the question he had previously asked. “Perhaps what I really want to know is about a little of both. I know… some background to the bondage… scene but… for the most part I haven’t… dabbled in it much.” He admitted with a small smile, former blush fading away, “And to be honest, I am rather curious about your tastes.”

Arthur lowered the cup to the saucer, one corner of his mouth rising at the confession.  He crossed his booted feet at the ankles, resting the cup and saucer on his left thigh as he gave his answer some thought before speaking.  “I am a Dominant…normally I will take on a submissive and train them, either for their enjoyment, my own enjoyment, or at the request of another Dominant.  Sometimes it’s all three, actually,” he confessed with a soft laugh, taking another sip of his tea. 

He grew pensive, a troubled look in his crystalline green eyes as his gaze shifted to the handcuffs.  “Ideally, it’s a lifestyle…one where I would actually be in a long-term relationship with someone who desires to submit to me both in the bedroom and outside of it.  The power exchange between Dominant and submissive is so much more meaningful when there’s love involved.”  England trailed off for a moment, then shook himself abruptly, a hint of colour tinting his cheeks as he smiled apologetically.  “But I digress…my tastes are for submissives who are polite and eager to please, and who aren’t afraid of a little roleplaying here and there.  I do enjoy any excuse to don period clothing,” he confessed with a laugh.

  
    Rajesh took another drink from his cup as he considered the explanations given to him. The fact that Arthur was a Dominant was something he actually expected; you didn’t just lose the personality of an Empire over-night. But, at the same time, he recognized that this was something much more… he’d used the term love hadn’t he? Rajesh didn’t love him but… perhaps he could give him something else. The idea intrigued him and since it was already the discussion topic…  
      
    Raj lowered his cup, holding it and the saucer in his lap, swallowing his last mouthful of tea and running a tongue over the lower lip to catch the faint dusting of creamy amber liquid left there. This might be sudden, but with the other options out there for him… they weren’t as appealing. And this _was_ Arthur after all. Perhaps he could give this man what he wanted. Meeting Arthur’s gaze he asked, “I would like… that is I mean to say… ask really, will you train me?”

Arthur, who had been in mid-sip, abruptly lowered the cup amid a coughing fit as he’d inhaled some of what he’d intended to swallow in response to Raj’s request.  Once he’d settled the cup and saucer on the coffee table without dropping it, England grabbed a napkin and held it against his mouth for a moment as he finished his coughing.

Blinking watery green eyes for a moment, Arthur cleared his throat as he looked over at Rajesh again.  “S-sorry about that, it was just…really one of the last things I would’ve expected you to say just then,” he apologized, his expression puzzled, surprised and slightly awkward.  “Was that a joke, or…?” he ventured cautiously, certain that fortune could never be so kind as to make up for the previous experience that day with something this good.

    When Arthur began to cough, the darker skinned man was tempted to reach over and hit his back, try to help him regain breath. But, that would not really help in this case… Instead he waited for the Englishman to calm himself and respond. Raj’s expression was one of embarrassment and slight discomfort at Arthur’s question, should he feel offended that the other did not take his request seriously? Probably not, since he had just admitted to that lifestyle and was probably not expecting an offer from him. Deciding to clarify, he spoke quietly, still coming to terms with his decision a bit himself, “N-no… I was not joking. If you don’t want anyone I understand you did just have someone over after all…”  
      
    Needing to do something to cover his embarrassment, the Indian reached out a hand and picked up one of the cookies from the tray Arthur had laid out a bit earlier. Nibbling at it quietly, Raj waited for the other nation to speak again.   
     

“N-no, no!” Arthur interjected hurriedly, reaching out and resting a hand on Raj’s knee, leaning forward and tilting his head up slightly so that he could meet India’s eyes.  “I do want someone,” he insisted, “what I had earlier was complete garbage, a failed experiment that neither of us wanted to repeat, so I’m completely available, I just…”

Arthur hesitated, drawing his hand back and sitting up, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, looking more than a little overwhelmed.  Even so, he offered Rajesh a reassuring smile, his expression still somewhat awestruck.  “First off, I wasn’t certain if you found men attractive, so that was a bit of a surprise,” England confessed.  “I mean, I’d hoped that you were, as you’re…”  Arthur trailed off, realising that he was rendering himself vulnerable, stroking the Indian’s ego a little too much.  “Someone anyone with those inclinations might fantasize about,” he finished the previous sentence off ambiguously, although anybody who knew him well knew exactly what he’d been about to say before.  “Secondly…I hadn’t expected you to desire the position of a submissive.  I did not mean to belittle your request, I was just so shocked by those two revelations that I didn’t quite know whether or not to believe you,” England explained apologetically, leaning back in his chair. 

His fuzzy brows drew together slightly as he contemplated the other nation, fingers shifting idly against the fabric of the armrest.  “What makes you want to be a submissive?  It’s an incredibly monumental decision, not something someone just makes off the cuff…”

  
    Oh… he’d really surprised England with that declaration. The awestruck expression on Arthur’s face made Rajesh want to laugh a little, he hadn’t seen the other look this surprised in such a long time, but to do so would be rude and he held his silence. The only sign of his internal amusement was a faint twitch of the lips, turning upwards before calming himself again. He really hadn’t meant for the comment to be so off-handed, was it that much of a shock for the other to find out that he was interested in men? Surely… it was now his turn to look confused, “I made an assumption that you would think me the more submissive when I said I’d dabbled…” Raj laughed with slight embarrassment again, “Though I will say I am glad they didn’t tell you… or at least brag about it, to someone, maybe I wasn’t giving them enough credit…” This musing was much more an external thought than a statement for Arthur to react to. India remedied this with a smile of his own, hearing the other statements the Englishman made.  
    “You flatter me… though I understand why you’d want to know that…” Finishing the rest of his tea in order to create a proper answer to Arthur’s question, Rajesh lowered his cup and saucer back down onto the tray before he spoke again. “It is a bit difficult for me to explain… I’m not making this decision on the cuff, but it was something that I had a difficult time admitting myself being attracted to… and for a while I’ve been looking for someone to be more of a re-occurring Dominant to me because I enjoy and enjoyed being able to let someone have that degree of control over me. And I also realized that being the Dominant one didn’t suit me…” Realizing that he had begun to ramble, Rajesh paused, giving Arthur a slightly sheepish smile.      
    

He’d opened his mouth to correct the Indian on the English phrase, then thought better of it, as it had been a long time since the days he’d last been entitled to correct Rajesh on his English.  England seemed completely mystified as Raj explained, and in the depths of his emerald eyes, there was the faintest glimmer of hope.  “I…must say, I’m…very honoured that you would consider me as a potential Dominant,” he confessed, his cheeks heating a little.  “Obviously I would insist that we have dinner first, but…”

Arthur paused, regarding Rajesh with a hint of desire and no small amount of uncertainty.  “Do you trust me enough to put your emotional and physical well being into my hands?” he ventured, then added quickly, “because that’s one of the most important questions that you have to consider, when making a decision like this.  It’s a power exchange, there has to be complete trust between both parties; I have to trust you to speak up if something is too much, and you have to trust me not to legitimately hurt you.”

   
    At Arthur’s change to a more serious nature, Rajesh followed suit, the smile dropping from his face as he met the emerald gaze across from him. He could see both the desire and uncertainty and nodded, “You’re one of my oldest friends, Arthur… I trust you.” Their history was proof of that; they had not gotten along for some of it, but the nation felt that their bond was strong enough for something like this. He hoped that England felt the same way. Beginning to smile again he repeated the affirmation with more confidence, “I trust you, Vilāyata.”  
      
England blushed deeply at hearing his name in Hindi, a smile that was almost boyish in its shyness coming to his lips.  “I…haven’t heard you call me that in quite a long time,” he murmured, shifting over to sit on the couch next to Rajesh, moving the handcuffs to the coffee table and looking to his guest again.  He gently took Raj’s hand in his own, kissing it softly and smirking a little as he met India’s eyes.  “I remember when you were a teenager, you used to call me _sahib_ in that flippant tone, and I’d get so bloody pissed off…”  His smirk turned slightly coy as he stroked the worn pad of his thumb over Raj’s knuckles.  “Mostly because the visions of subduing you and making you scream that title as I buggered you within an inch of your life were what went through my head every damned time you said it…”

  
    The soft touches and kiss upon his hand from Arthur made Rajesh smile. He carefully shifted his hand so that their fingers were threaded together. “Hmm? Really?” The dark haired nation was blushing just a little now as well, and he smiled, before continuing with, “If it’s any consolation… I enjoyed teasing you quite a bit when I was younger…"  
      
    India chuckled and added, “I would spend quite a bit of time trying to figure out a better way to well… catch your attention.” The chuckle was now more of a soft laugh, dark brown eyes glinting a little with past amusement, though the tint of a flush did not leave his cheeks, “And as improper as it is to admit… I’m rather glad that I managed to provoke you just a little.”       
    

Arthur offered up a devilish grin, his eyes glinting with amusement.  “Something tells me I’m going to make up for all the times I didn’t put you over my knee back then,” he purred, drawing Raj’s hand a little higher and kissing the inside of his wrist.  “So…where would you like to go for dinner?  I’m afraid I wasn’t quite prepared for such esteemed company, so I only have the bits and bobs I would’ve fed the brat from this morning, if he hadn’t been such a bloody disappointment.”  He watched India carefully for any sign of nervousness, his eyes intent on the other nation’s features.

  
    Rajesh tilted his head, considering the offer. His expression was simply one of thought and he didn’t show any signs of seeking to bolt from the house or even pull his hand away, which remained in the Englishman’s grasp. After a couple second’s worth of pondering he grinned a bit more broadly, asking, “I believe I am a little bit biased for choosing this but… how about we go somewhere we can eat curry?”   
      
    It had been a while since the last time he had eaten out in England; it had been a while since he’d visited Arthur in general. But, he wanted something that was a bit familiar to him, a dish that he was used to. Even if the cooks here sometimes got the spices wrong… most of the time it wasn’t hot enough, but he was sure that eating would be pleasant. Especially with present company. Raj shifted his gaze, meeting Arthur’s again, “What time would you like to leave?”  
      
England’s gaze had fallen to the garment Rajesh was wearing; that colour of red truly was his favourite, and the gold accents on the fabric really were quite lovely.  India’s hand was soft and warm within his own, and, as always, he smelled so different from every other sorry excuse for a lover Arthur had ever been with.  Add to that England’s particular weakness for any skin tone darker than his own, of course, and he was completely lost.

Through his trance, he heard the words ‘curry’ and ‘time’, and eventually shook himself, meeting Raj’s eyes and smiling apologetically.  “Ah, a curry restaurant?  There’s a fairly good one about a twenty minute drive from here…should we get take-out?”  His gaze flicked down to the clothes he himself was wearing, and he grunted.  “Ah, I shall have to shower and change into something else, of course…”

  
    “Take out would be lovely.” Raj agreed, and at the comment on the Brit’s apparel his own gaze swept over the white shirt, pants and boots. Ah… and he did look so nice like that. It was an almost… pirate-like choice of clothing and while Rajesh had nothing to complain about, it was different than the normal fashion statements of the day. “If you want… though, if you are worried about standing out…” India gestured to his own clothes, “You aren’t the one wearing a sherwani…” He chuckled and gently let his fingers slip free of England’s, “If you are going to shower and change I shall wait here for you, Iṅglaiṇḍa.”

England tilted his head curiously, his gaze growing mildly concerned.  “But you look lovely like that,” he insisted, releasing Raj’s hand to run his fingertips along the fabric at his collar.  “This shade of red…I’m incredibly partial to it, as I’m sure you’re aware.”  Suddenly something occurred to Arthur, and he gave Raj a wide-eyed look for a moment.  “You…did you wear this on purpose?”  His eyes narrowed a little, his expression a mixture of hopefulness and disbelief.  “You weren’t intending to try and _seduce_ me, were you?”

  
    “Ahh…” Raj’s fingers toyed with the fringes of his scarf again, leaving him to look very much like the child with his hand on a cookie jar. “Well… trying to seduce is a rather interesting way of putting it…” A blush now stood out rather well on his cheeks, “Perhaps not seduce but try and… catch your attention at least.” He chuckled, though this was still tinged with a bit of embarrassment, “I figured there was no harm in giving it a go… since I do… like you.”  


Hands stilling at last, he managed to look England in the eyes, saying, "Does that.... bother you?"     

Arthur blinked at Raj for a moment, then laughed and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly.  “Rajesh…you silly, silly sod…in a world full of people who hate the bloody sight of me, do you honestly think I would turn down anyone who showed even the slightest touch of interest?”  He tensed, flushing a little in embarrassment.  “Er…that made me sound rather like a whore…what I meant to say is that…”  Drawing back, he met Raj’s eyes, his hands still resting on the Indian’s shoulders.  “I’m…immensely flattered.  And I apologize that I didn’t notice before now…I suppose I’ve been rather preoccupied…though that isn’t much of an excuse.”

  
    At first rather surprised, Raj smiled broadly and let his own arms slip around the Englishman, let his hands rest against Arthur’s back when he finally let go, “I don’t think it makes you sound like a whore… and the entire world does not hate you.” He shrugged, “Well… I wasn’t putting much effort into it because I was a bit afraid you were disinterested or already had someone you were close to. But… I thought I’d still try.” Now practically grinning he added, “I’m glad that you are flattered.”

    India let his hands slide off of England’s back to move up and rest over the hands lying on top of his own shoulders. “It’s alright, I understand being pre-occupied.”  
    

Arthur’s breath hitched at the words, his cheeks blushing quite noticeably as he sat there, one knee resting against Raj’s, his hands cool underneath India’s warmer ones.  Was Raj…really flirting with him?  It was such a rare occurrence, the only one who really every flirted with him nowadays was the blasted frog…  “D…do you now?” he murmured, holding Raj’s gaze, leaning in slightly and hesitating, wondering if India had intended for anything to happen.

  
    “Mm-hmm….” was the hummed response from Raj as he felt Arthur lean in closer to him, the grin that once flashed white teeth with happiness was now a more teasing, closed lipped smile. Subconsciously, he licked his lips just a little, but did not close the distance that still lingered between them. He would leave that particular move for Arthur to make, instead he gave a slight nod, and said “I believe I do…” Carefully his hands slid along the Englishman’s arms until they were mirroring the hold that Arthur had on him, Raj tilted his head, looking over the other man again.

 

Arthur leaned in, holding his breath, moving until their lips were a mere millimeter apart.  Goosebumps ran down his arms as he felt their breaths mingling, and he hesitated just a moment longer before pulling away and moving back over to the armchair.  Sitting down slowly, Arthur spread his thighs a little then patted one with a warm, encouraging smile.  “Come here, Rajesh,” he urged softly.  His heart was already beating quicker as he watched India to see what he would do, wondering if it was all the parts of being a submissive that Rajesh wanted, or just some… 

  
    Raj did not lean over that last bit, thinking that Arthur would do it… For a moment, he just blinked in surprise as Arthur pulled away and sat back in his chair. He almost frowned for a moment, but caught himself and got up. Stepping over to the arm chair Raj considered the options before him as how to respond to England. He sat down on the leg offered to him, making sure he was not resting the entirety of his weight on the other man by propping himself on an arm rest behind him. Smiling down at Arthur he waited for the next movement or word.

 

Deeply pleased, England took Raj’s hand and kissed it again, then used it to draw India closer.  “Very good,” he praised, stroking the small of Raj’s back with his free hand.  Sliding the other one up Raj’s arm, over his shoulder and up to the side of his neck, Arthur caressed Raj’s cheek, then cupped the nape of his neck and drew him close, pressing a few fleeting kisses against the edge of his jaw.  He wasn’t quite sure who he was trying to tease more with this dalliance…however, he indulged in it anyway.

  
    “Śukriyā…” Was the murmured thanks in return from the man in Arthur’s lap. A pleased noise worked its way out of Raj as he found himself leaning into the caressing fingers moving over his cheek and leaning against the soft pressure of lips on his jaw, but it was never quite getting to the spot that he wanted. The pleased sounds wavered for a moment to a sigh of disappointment when the teasing continued, but Raj tried to silence himself. He was glad that Arthur was paying him this attention… Carefully watching the other for a reaction, India lifted the hand not supporting him on the arm rest, to brush along the soft hair at the base of England’s neck. If that was allowed he would slip his fingers through the messy blonde locks, and tilt his head to offer more skin or his lips to Arthur.

Sensing Raj’s impatience, Arthur smiled against his neck, scraping his teeth over it lightly.  “Patience is a virtue, poppet,” he teased lightly, a shiver running down his spine at the brush of India’s fingertips against his nape.  “That feels nice,” he encouraged, catching Raj’s earlobe between his lips and suckling it for a moment before giving it a gentle tug between his teeth.  Letting it slide free, he drew back and smiled coyly at the other nation.  “Is there something you’d like, pet?”

    Holding back another noise of disappointment and continuing to run his fingers through Arthur’s hair, Raj gave a slight moan as his ear was given attention by the Englishman teasing him. A flush decorated his cheeks as he looked down at England when he had pulled away. His fingers slowly slid free of Arthur, tapering down the back of his neck before his hand rested on top of the Brit's shoulder. Hearing the question, paired with that coy smile, a request came to his lips rather quickly and served to deepen the blush on his cheeks as Rajesh asked, “Kiss me, please?”

“Again, very good,” Arthur praised, leaning in and granting the request.  His lips brushed against Raj’s, teasing for only a moment before pressing firmly against them, the tip of his tongue lightly caressing the lower one.  England’s fingers shifted to card through Raj’s hair, and after about thirty seconds, Arthur broke the kiss to look Rajesh in the eyes.  “I suppose we ought to come up with a title for you to call me by,” he murmured, licking his lips and bringing his hand back down to stroke Raj’s cheek.  “Is there something that has meaning for you, that you should like to call me?  I’m perfectly fine with ‘Sir’ or ‘Master’, but if there’s something equivalent that would have more meaning for you, that is what I would prefer…”  He wasn’t going to say, of course, that all his other submissives called him ‘Sir’ that he never deviated from that.  Because if he said that, Arthur would be admitting that Rajesh was different from all the others, and that was not yet something he was prepared to admit to himself.

  
    Raj kissed back gently, not wanting to over-step anything and smiled when Arthur pulled away, even if he wanted the kiss to continue a little longer. At the request for a title, he thought for a moment, before smiling a little broader, remembering earlier in the conversation. “Perhaps I could call you sahib again?” He asked, looking down at England. He wasn’t sure if all Submissive partners were allowed this sort of privilege, but he was willing to accept whatever Arthur had to offer him.

Arthur smiled rakishly, dropping another kiss against Raj’s lips and then looking him shrewdly in the eyes.  “Ah, but would you really _mean_ it this time?  Because if you’re going to say it in the manner you used to, I’m afraid it won’t work…it has to be a genuine term of respect.”  He ran the pads of his fingers down the column of Raj’s throat, thinking that the red leather collar he’d set aside for the very special sub he assumed he’d never meet might look very good there.

    Raj nodded, not breaking eye contact with Arthur as he answered, “I’ll be good… sahib.” His tone was different than previous uses of the word, much more soft and polite, lacking its former sarcasm and bitterness. Feeling fingers run down the side of his neck, he shivered at the nice sensations it sent running down his spine. The neck had always been a rather sensitive spot for him. “Oh…” In the sudden turn of events he’d forgotten, “Are we… still going to have dinner?” He asked.   
    

“Of course,” Arthur replied, delivering a gentle kiss to Raj’s cheek.  He gave one last fleeting stroke of his fingertips against India’s neck, filing the way it drew a shiver from him away into the back of his mind.  “I’m just going to go and shower.”  Gently guiding Raj from his lap, Arthur got up and stretched, offering up a warm smile.  “I shan’t be long,” he assured his guest before darting up the stairs.

  
    Rajesh smiled and nodded, “I’ll wait here…” He sat on the couch and tried to be patient when the other man had left the room. However, after a while he grew bored and started to look around the room, it did look just like someone had hastily tried to clean it up. Hmm? Looking up the Indian was surprised to see something poking off from the top of the bookcase, what was that? He reached up and plucked off the object. Raj’s cheeks heated, it was a riding crop… Sitting back down on the couch he heard something rattle behind it as the sofa moved a little.  
      
    Shifting back he pulled the body harness out from behind it, “What…?” Were these leftovers from when Arthur had his previous guest over? Blushing a bit more he also grew curious and started to look through the other things in the room. He opened the drawers and blushed at their occupants, lifting the collar and leash, the links clinking slightly as he looked over the object.  
    

Having dressed in a pair of khakis, a white dress shirt and a sweater-vest he’d knitted himself, Arthur made his way downstairs, still drying his hair with a towel around his neck.  “I was going to ask, Raj, do you mind driving?  I think you may’ve parked behind m—”  Arthur froze in the doorway when he saw what Raj was holding, then saw the other items India had apparently found.  “Tsk, you nosy little bugger!  What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

  
    Raj’s eyes widened as he saw Arthur standing in the doorway, “I… I…” He set down the collar, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” Looking over at the other he looked very much like a child caught doing something again as he added, biting his lip, “S-surely you’ve caught me looking through worse?” Uh oh... he hoped that Arthur wasn't too mad that he'd fallen back on his old habit of snooping, it was a rather hard habit to break.    

Arthur crossed his arms over his chest, one eye narrowing slightly.  It wasn’t so much that he had anything terribly incriminating in this house, other than sexual implements…it was more that he himself had serious trust issues, and the behaviour was worrisome for a man like him.  “I don’t believe past occurrences are relevant to the current transgression,” he observed curtly.  “Quite frankly, if our relationship is going to be one based on trust, I have to be able to trust you not to do things behind my back.”  Arthur approached, taking the collar and leash from Raj’s hands and looking at him seriously.  “If you want to see my toys, all you had to do was ask.  There’s no need to go snooping around behind my back.  From now on, you’ll ask permission, is that understood?”  

  
    Nodding quickly and easily releasing the collar and leash, India replied, “I understand… I didn’t mean to start snooping around. N-next time I’ll ask.” Raj bowed his head, “I’m sorry sahib.”

Arthur pursed his lips slightly, shifting the collar and leash back and forth between his hands, considering Rajesh carefully.  “You’re forgiven,” he finally grunted, picking up some of the other items.  “See anything in particular that you liked?”

  
    Raj nodded, looking back up at Arthur, “Thank you…” Turning his gaze to rove over the various toys that he had found Raj blushed and nodded, “Yes… I found something that I liked.” He looked over the collar, smiling. The Indian walked over and picked up the riding crop again, “I actually don’t mind… all of these." Rajesh smiled and adjusted his scarf, "Do you think... we could use some of these things after dinner?"

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Arthur’s mouth, and the Brit tilted his head slightly, laying the items out on the coffee table one by one (although he left the dildos and butt plug in the vase, as they were dirty).  “Only if you choose the ones you like right now,” he replied, stepping back to watch, slipping his hands into his pockets.  “You may choose different ones when you see the rest of the collection; however, for now, I’m curious to see what you’re interested in.”

  
    Glancing once back at Arthur; Raj considered the items on the table in front of him, trying to decide which ones to choose. He remembered how Arthur held the collar and didn’t set it aside when he was speaking to him, so he picked that one up, along with the crop and body harness. Rajesh hadn’t tried any of the edible underwear before so he was a little hesitant to try it, “How about these?”

 

Arthur took the body harness and tossed it onto the couch.  “That one needs to be cleaned, but I have another one that might suit you.”  He considered the collar and leash, looking at Rajesh curiously.  “Did you choose that because you like it, or because you think it will please me?” he inquired, his expression showing clearly that no matter what Raj’s answer was, he would accept it.  Of course, if Raj wanted a collar, if it was the sort of thing that he enjoyed, Arthur had several, and he could choose from those if he liked.  He didn’t want to give him anything he’d used on a previous sub.  New relationships meant new toys, in his mind.

  
    Raj shrugged, smiling slightly, “A little bit of both I think. I saw that you held onto it but… I kind of like them from… previous experiences…” He flushed but his smile widened. Looking down at the items that he had put into the ‘using’ pile, the Indian asked, “Am I going to be using these?” Arthur had said that everything was clean, so he didn’t mind.  
    

“I prefer to use new toys when I take on a new submissive,” Arthur murmured, bringing the ends of the towel up from around his neck to dry his scruffy hair a bit more.  “It’s…a personal preference.  Plus, as a magic user, I have a tendency to pick up resonances of previous submissives from the toys I used with them.  Bit of a pain, really…my favourite piece is one I’ve been meaning to burn for a while as the only memories that are attached to it are ones of very strong betrayal.  It breaks my heart, because…”  Arthur’s brows drew together slightly as he lowered the towel, glancing at the body harness.  “Rajesh…even though you will be in a position where you are submissive…”  He turned his head, looking at Raj directly in the eyes, his own green ones troubled with a combination of regret and worry.  “If there’s something you don’t like, or if there’s something you don’t want to do or have absolutely no interest in…promise me that you’ll tell me?  Just because you’re my submissive doesn’t mean that you have to pretend to like the things that I like, or do things just because you think they’ll make me happy.  Never compromise your own happiness or comfort level because you think it will please me…will you promise me that?”

  
    “I…. I promise.” Rajesh said, holding Arthur’s gaze and nodding. He couldn’t help but wonder about the identity of the person the Englishman was talking about, it made him uncomfortable to see the mixture of pain and regret on his friend’s face. “I won’t hold anything back from you… jaan.” He was not sure why he used the term of endearment, but it was said and he could not take it back. Raj reached out and took Arthur’s hands, holding them, “I’ll tell you if there is something I don’t like, I promise.”   
        

He couldn’t remember what the term of endearment meant, only that it was a rare one…as such, it brought a touch of colour to his cheeks as his heart fluttered a little.  Arthur smiled when Raj took his hands, and he turned them in India’s grip, drawing Raj’s hands to his lips and kissing each one tenderly.  “Thank you.  It’ll be a pity to destroy such a beautiful piece, but…perhaps you can give me a hand doing it.”  He paused for a long moment, holding Raj’s gaze as he stroked the other nation’s knuckles lightly with the pads of his thumbs.  “I haven’t heard that word in quite a long time…jaan…can you jog my memory on what it means?  I knew once…a very long time ago…”

  
    Raj nodded and smiled softly, “If that is what you want, I will help you with it. I’d be… honored to help.” At the request for a translation, it was his turn to blush and lightly worry his lower lip between his teeth. “Well… it means… my life; it’s something that you say to… someone you care about.” Actually, it was a common term between sweethearts, but he wasn’t sure if Arthur wanted to hear that, a simpler explanation was better. At least, for now.  In order to keep the Brit from asking another question he added, “Perhaps I could teach you more Hindi again?”

“Ahh, yes, that’s it,” Arthur mused, then smiled a little.  “Mm…would you like to?”  He inquired, releasing Raj’s hands to dry behind his ears before balling the towel up and walking into the hallway, opening a door and tossing the towel downstairs into the basement before closing it again.  “I apologize for being so rusty…it’s been quite a while since I’ve gone abroad for anything other than politics and business meetings.”  Slipping a pair of black leather gloves on, Arthur fetched his house keys and motioned to the door.  “So…care to drive?”

  
    The Indian chuckled, “Sure, I think it would be something fun to do.” He followed this with a shrug, “That’s alright, I still haven’t mastered English and Hindi has so many different dialects it’s sometimes hard for even me to keep them straight… ahh, that’s a little embarrassing for me to admit.” Rajesh followed Arthur towards the door, “I’d be happy to drive for you.” He agreed, pulling his keys out of his pocket while they walked to his car.  
      
England locked the door and set the alarm behind him, following Rajesh to the car and stopping him just before he got into the driver’s seat, taking a gentle hold of his arm.  “Rajesh…” he murmured, looking him in the eyes for a moment before leaning in to press a gentle kiss against his cheek.  “Thank you.  For this opportunity,” he declared softly, a faint and surprisingly honest smile on his lips.  “And for driving, of course.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this. There was a little more to the RP, but I can't cleanly round it off so... here you go!


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